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The United States Postal Service had a little trouble installing some hardware yesterday, and now it's feeling the burn - the service's email system remains on the fritz while "some services offered at retail offices" have been affected to boot. Here's what you need to know: The USPS has battled snow and rain and heat and gloom of night, and a systems outage like this hasn't really slowed it down any. Mail deliveries are continuing as usual, as are mail scanning and processing procedures so your letters are currently flowing through their tubes same as always.

Distance can sour even the fondest familial relationships, and they're even trickier to sustain when health issues are involved. That's where a small, Midwestern hardware startup called OnKol comes in -- it's making a handsome hub for all the digital health data you can squeeze out of compatible health monitors (a decent chunk of which have cables that terminate in USB jacks). It'll also play nice with health devices that support Bluetooth connections, though those can be a little tougher to come by. The end result? A sort of one-stop shop to help you keep tabs on loved ones who could use some remote (but caring!) eyes.%Gallery-slideshow257497%

So you want to make your Halloween just a little more geeky, but you're not quite ready to port Tetris to a pumpkin -- maybe LittleBits is more your speed? The modular prototyping platform has created a series of themed kits that should make augmenting holiday easy. There are three in all: a sound-activated jack-o-lantern light, a "creepy portrait" that moves when someone walks by and Halloween "stick figure costume." All of them are cute, but they're also a little less than what they seem.

Makers, it's time to put down those soldering irons and stop worrying about any detail you've potentially forgotten. It's September 26th, which means this is the last day we're accepting Insert Coin entries. Remember, you'll have two chances to take a nice fat wallet home with you, since our panel of judges and our readers will be voting separately. You can win up to $25,000 to kickstart your hardware project, and earn some bragging rights, as well as generate publicity, in the process. Also, the top 10 semi-finalists will receive $1,000 each in travel stipend to showcase their masterpieces at the 2014 Expand event in New York this November. Not a bad deal at all, right? So, read our submission guidelines thoroughly one last time, make sure the pictures and videos of your work are top notch, and fill out our entry form by 11:59PM EDT tonight. Good luck!

Thinking about building something out of LittleBits' library of interconnecting circuit boards? Until today, your creativity has been artificially limited -- LittleBits uses a proprietary magnetic connector for each of its snap-on components, without any ability to add objects to your project that fall outside of the company's offered modules. Today that changes: Today LittleBits announced a new program that allows customers to prototype, design, manufacture and sell their own LittleBit components. It's called Bitlab, and the company hopes that it will become an "App Store for hardware."

For every HTC and Samsung, there are tens of Android hardware makers who have to redesign their smartphones to hit a certain low price. This is especially true in the developing world, where keeping the cost down means a lot of effort is spent tweaking devices -- something that Google feels is a waste of time. That's why it's launching Android One, a program where Mountain View's engineers will design cost-conscious hardware, and other companies will simply manufacture it. There are plenty of fringe benefits, but the biggest one is that Google will be able to dictate a minimum set of standards for forthcoming Android handsets.

Just days after Nike announced the launch of its Fuel Lab location in San Francisco to enhance partnerships with other digital services for athletes, there's a report that it's fired much of the team behind its FuelBand wristwear. CNET reports that, according to a person familiar with the matter, as many as 55 people from its 70-member hardware team are being laid off, and plans for another version of the FuelBand to follow the SE have been shelved. All of this comes just as the wearables market is heating up, with products already arriving from Samsung, LG, Motorola, Pebble and more, while activity tracking integrated with phones is also becoming more popular. At the same time, not all of Nike's tech initiatives have worked out, and Nike+ has largely disappeared from its shoes in the last year.

A Nike spokesman confirmed to CNET a "small number of layoffs" as its "Digital Sports priorities evolve." (Update: In a statement, Nike says it "will continue to improve the Nike+ FuelBand App, launch new METALUXE colors, and we will sell and support the Nike+ FuelBand SE for the foreseeable future.")Given Nike's close relationship with Apple (Tim Cook is a member of Nike's board), one could wonder if the prospect of an upcoming wearable from Cupertino had a hand in swinging the apparel company's focus towards "simpler data-powered experiences" -- or they just spent all the money on tonight's sweet 3D projector intro to the Jordan Brand High School All-Star Game.

Looking for something to do on a lazy Saturday? You could always learn a little more about Open Hardware initiatives. Today, March 15th, is Hardware Freedom Day -- an annual celebration of open-source gadgetry and unrestricted hardware collaboration. The Digital Freedom Foundation created the event in 2012 to promote the idea of Open Hardware and give local hackerspaces a chance to interact with their communities. Local events are being hosted on almost every continent, exposing everyday folks to fabrication tools, Arduinos, Rasberry Pi hacks, 3D printers and more. Check out the official website at the source link below for details and event locations.

According to a rumor from Wired, the network DVR prototype TiVo showed off at CES is much more than a dream, and could be a big part of its future. The unnamed internal sources claim TiVo laid off 5 employees that make up most of its hardware team (which just celebrated its four Emmy awards), leaving just two engineers to handle support for its current devices, and those yet to come from third parties. We contacted TiVo and received the same response as Wired (available in full after the break), saying it's going to "allocate resources where strategic growth opportunities exist...we expect growth in the cloud-based delivery aspects of TiVo's business."

TiVo has talked up the possibility of delivering a cloud-based DVR experience since last fall. After releasing the highly-regarded Roamio line, it's possible the company feels there's little growth left in set-top box DVRs, especially considering the current state of FCC regulations and CableCARD. Microsoft's Media Center project appears to be over, and very fewnew third-party devices have shipped recently. We pinged investor Sam Biller for ideas on what other plans TiVo might have, and he pointed to a lack of detailed forecasts for the company's nearly $1 billion in cash, seeing the possibility it could acquire another company to build hardware. Whatever TiVo does from here, it's finally delivered on the promise of a capable do-it-all box with the Roamio -- hopefully that essence remains in future products.

Update: In a phone conversation, VP of PR Steve Wymer told us the company remains "fully committed" to Roamio, and called it the crown jewel of TiVo. In his view, it's not accurate to say that TiVo is exiting the hardware business as it continues to expand current products and plan future ones, but that it is reallocating resources with an eye towards the future -- a future that hopefully includes both the sweet nDVR prototype, and even better set-top boxes for those that want or already have them.

Frank Lloyd Wright probably never thought his philosophies would guide video game consoles. Yet, during today's keynote at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, Xbox Creative Director Carl Ledbetter explained that the architect influenced the creative process behind Redmond's new gaming hardware. His team of "almost thirty" went through countless hardware designs for the console and over 200 controller prototypes before settling on final models. Throughout, Xbox One's goals remained modest: simplicity and elegance. The ultimate benchmark being something that doesn't look out of place with today's svelte and stylish high-def TVs.

"We worked with the engineering team to understand how the parts go together. Cooling, venting, what's it going to look like?" Ledbetter asked. His crew strived to follow Wright's ideal that form shouldn't follow function, they should be joined as one in "spiritual union." Considering its components, that likely explains the next-gen hardware's sheer size. For glimpses of rejected concepts hit the break, the full presentation is in the links below and Ledbetter's portion begins around 13:10.

Evernote may be known for its flexible suite of cloud software, but the company is apparently looking to hardware as its next evolution. CEO Phil Libin told IDG that his company won't create hardware internally at first, but with partners. "We won't actually do the manufacturing, but we'll do the co-design together," he said. That isn't to say Evernote is staying out of the internally produced hardware business forever; Libin estimates his company will get there "in a few years -- three, four, five."

Evernote partnered with Moleskin earlier this year to create the "Smart Notebook," so the California-based company's certainly no stranger to working with collaborators. And that's to say nothing of Evernote's functionality on virtually every smart mobile device available (including Google's Glass project). It's not clear what Evernote's hardware ambitions could be, but we'll be sure to keep asking as the next few years roll along.

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evernotehardwaremobilepostcrossneweconomysummitphillibinWed, 17 Apr 2013 12:32:00 -040021|20543390http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/apb-reloaded-dev-blog-talks-optimization/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Devs say the darndest things. In APB: Reloaded's latest dev blog, optimization of the live game is likened to changing your car's oil while speeding along at 65 mph. While not an admission of actually attempting the latter, this fact-filled dev diary does get into the nitty gritty of the optimization process; it offers a view (literally, with graphs and pictures) of both the software and hardware optimizations that are in the works.

A new OTW (Open Test World) called Overkill will soon come online to test a new bit of hardware developed specifically for the game to help improve performance. Those who are current OTW testers can expect to see Overkill in the next two weeks, while all players can expect to see release 1.10.2, with its performance improvements, very soon.

Sure, Ubuntu for smartphones is slated to appear as a downloadable image for the Galaxy Nexus late this month, but you'll have to wait until fall to get your hands on honest-to-goodness Ubuntu phone hardware. According to the Wall Street Journal, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says Ubuntu handsets will hit two "large geographic markets" in October, and that the open source OS has struck the fancy of carriers, to boot. However, Shuttleworth remained coy regarding which regions will see the devices launch in October and which manufacturers will be serving up hardware.

Valve's hardware beta is apparently getting underway ahead of schedule, as a recent 4chan group interview with company head Gabe Newell revealed that the beta's already in user testing. Moreover, Newell says that three different controller prototypes are in circulation. He echoes Valve hardware engineer Jeri Ellsworth's words from earlier this year, saying controllers are yet another step in Valve's journey with Steam from desktop PC to living room. He also says that the options currently available simply aren't good enough. "The reason we're doing controllers is we didn't think there was enough interesting innovation going on."

We've yet to see any of Valve's hardware prototypes, but the last word was it shouldn't be too long before they're ready for consumption ... in one form or another. Be sure to let us know if you spot one!

Until very recently, Microsoft wasn't known for making hardware. Sure, it put out the occasional Zune, but most of the tech running Redmond's desktop and mobile operating systems traditionally comes from its partners -- the Surface being the exception, of course. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft might consider making that exception a rule: some of the firm's part suppliers say that the company is experimenting with a smartphone design of its very own. Folks familiar with the matter say the device in question is between four and five inches, putting it in a sweet-spot that's larger than the iPhone 5, but not quite as daunting as a Samsung Galaxy Note II. Don't get too excited, however, sources aren't sure the if the device will go into mass production, and Microsoft is expectantly tight-lipped about the rumor. Still, we wouldn't scoff at a smartphone with a build quality to match the Surface -- though it might rub some of Redmond's hardware partners the wrongway.

China's Huawei has found itself followed by a cloud of suspicion from governments and national security agencies, both in America, and further afield. A recent announcement from Clearwire stating it will use the firms hardware in a network upgrade, however, could see some sunshine of confidence finally poking through. Reuters reports that the service provider consulted several technical departments from various federal agencies before making the decision. Clearwire already uses some Huawei equipment in its infrastructure, and it's in these areas that the hardware will be used for upgrades. The firm went on to assure that, overall, less than 5 percent of its LTE budget involves Huawei gear, and irrespective of origin, all vendors are subject to approval from US government approved third parties.

Nintendo's top dog Satoru Iwata recently sat down with some of his R&D crew to talk about designing the Wii U, and unfortunately, a console was sacrificed in the process. The discussion focuses on what changes they've made this time 'round, including the new multi-core CPU and GPU module, and how they fitted more cooling gear in a body smaller than the Wii as a result. In addition to some nice teardown pics for illustrative purposes, they muse on moving to HD, part testing, case design and how the GamePad is more of a companion than a controller. We don't want to spoil the whole bit, so head to the source link for the full transcript, or check out the gallery below if you just want the visuals.

In what is assuredly the inauspicious beginnings of an alternate reality Aperture Science, Valve Software is asking interested parties to take a brief survey which may result in being the first people outside of the company to get hands-on time with Valve's hardware prototypes. Additionally, participants will get a chance to playtest "both released and unreleased versions of our games." Putting the two together, it sounds an awful lot like you'll be trying existing Valve games with new means of input. For now, Valve's only seeking folks in the Seattle/Bellevue, Washington region of the US, but that may expand remotely "in the future." Perhaps in an upcoming hardware beta? We can't be sure! It's unclear when the survey sign-up period will end, but we've asked Valve for more info. Let's just say we'd suggest not putting it off. Click here to take the survey.

We're here at Nintendo'sWii U event in New York City where the gaming outfit's prexy Reggie Fils-Aime just announced US pricing and release details for the console, as well as it's own unique TVii service. And now that those important tidbits have been squared away, it's time to focus on the hardware. Yes, you may have seen the Wii U console many times before, but the House that Mario built's been notoriously stingy about giving media access to a non-tethered unit. Well, the time has come to see nearly every facet of this next-gen contender. As you'll note in the gallery below, the only area the Big N wouldn't let us photograph is this Premium version's backside. For whatever reason, the company doesn't want those ports shown, but we can tell you what they consist of: AC adapter, AV multiout, sensor bar, HDMI out and what looks like two ports for USB. Undecided on whether you should be placing that pre-order right about now? Then take a tour of this onyx pair and see if it changes things any.

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consolehardwarehardware tourHardwareTourNintendoreleasevideo gamesVideoGamesWii UWiiUThu, 13 Sep 2012 11:52:00 -040021|20322621http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/09/02/macs-heat-and-wow-how-to-fix-and-prevent-heat-issues-in-5-0-4/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=WoW&ncid=rss_semi
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It's no secret that Macs, and especially Mac notebooks, run pretty hot while playing WoW. However, in the wake of patch 5.0.4, a lot of Mac users are reporting dangerously high temperatures, and worried players have flooded the Mac Technical Support forum.

In the meantime, I thought that, in addition to including Growltiger's solution here, it might be a good idea to run an article on how to fix and prevent heat problems with Macs. We write for a pretty computer-savvy audience here at WoW Insider, and odds are good you'll find some people in the comment section who really know their stuff. I won't claim to be one of them, but I hope some of the things that have worked for me will also work for you.

Even if you're a novice computer user, you should find a few tips here. However, if you're one of the players looking to implement Growltiger's fix, fair warning: It's not for the faint of heart.

Making the Raspberry Piaffordable involved some tough calls, including the omission of MPEG-2 decoding. Licensing fees alone for the video software would have boosted the board's price by approximately 10 percent. Now, after many have made media centers with the hardware, the foundation behind the project has whipped up a solution to add the missing codec. For $3.16, users can purchase an individual MPEG-2 license for each of their boards on the organization's online store. Partial to Microsoft's VC-1 standard? Rights to using Redmond's codec can be purchased for $1.58. H.264 encoding is also in the cards since OpenMax components needed to develop applications with the functionality are now enabled by default in the device's latest firmware. With CEC support thrown into the Raspbmc, XBian and OpenELEC operating systems, a single IR remote can control a Raspberry Pi, a TV and other connected gadgets. If you're ready to load up your Pi with its newfound abilities, hit the source link below.

Update: The Raspberry Pi Foundation let us know that US customers won't have to pay sales tax, which means patrons will only be set back $3.16 for MPEG-2 and $1.58 for VC-1 support, not $3.79 and $1.90 for the respective licenses. We've updated the post accordingly.

You know the drill, walking through that mine field, only to lose another good flashlight when you drop it on one of those puppies. Well if this is a concern of yours, the EXP-LED-51 from Larson Electronics should see you right. The latest in its like of hazardous location devices, the rugged LED torch is rechargeable, has 180 lumens of output and rated for 50,000 hours of service in the (dark) field (480 hours on one charge in the lowest power mode). For the man (or woman) on the move, the EXP-LED-51 also comes with a 12V car charger, as well as the standard VAC outlets. How much for this level of resilience? That'd be 320 bulletproof dollars.

Microsoft has already expressed its fondness for Perceptive Pixel's gigantic capacitive touchscreens, which became apparent during a live demo at the company's Windows 8 presentation at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, but now that friendship has become a bit more official. During Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference keynote in Toronto this morning, Steve Ballmer announced that Perceptive Pixel would be coming in-house, with Microsoft acquiring the display maker. The move seems to be in line with the company's recent shift to hardware manufacturing, beginning with last month's Surface introduction and its reinforced commitment to the recently renamed PixelSense smart table solution -- MS has just seized an opportunity to get a bit more hands-on. Full (limited) details are in the press release after the break.

Andy Rubin has already made it known that Google isn't planning to profit from the Nexus 7's hardware -- according to him, it's being sold at cost. However, a teardown conducted by TechInsights (and reported by Fudzilla) suggests that the true extent of our 'discount' may have been underplayed, because the Nexus 7's parts alone reportedly add up to around $184. That's just $15 below the current asking price for an 8GB model, before you even get to all the added costs like packaging, distribution, support, marketing and the tidy $25 Google Play voucher that comes as part of the bundle. Now, these figures may not be reliable, because who knows what deals Google and ASUS managed to negotiate, but still, it's further evidence (in case you needed it) that this tablet makes for a smart purchase.

The coolest thing at Google I/O this year isn't a cheap tablet or a pair of overpriced glasses or even a killer keyboard. It is, believe it or not, an alarm clock. But not just any alarm clock -- this is an alarm clock with potential. What you see above, and demonstrated in the video after the break, is the gadget that was handed out to attendees who went to learn about the Android Accessory Development Kit. It has an array of RGB LEDs on the front which it can use to display simple numerals and digits, but thanks to a bevy of sensors -- and plenty of connectivity options -- that's just the beginning. USB? Check. NFC? Definitely. Accelerometer, colorimeter, magnetometer, barometer, hygrometer, thermometer? Yes, all that and more.

What starts out as an oddly shaped clock held together only with magnets has the potential to be hacked into something truly amazing -- and that's the point. With this, developers have what they need to try out all sorts of crazy ideas relying on a wide assortment of sensors. It's an empowering collection of abilities and, when a dev finds some combination that works, they can turn around and spin that into something new. We're very eager to see what eager engineers do with their ADK demo units, but for now you can see what it can do right out of the box in the video below.